ST JOSEPH’S Community College Kilkee turned the typical career fair on its head with alpacas, apprenticeships, and a vast range of local and national opportunities.
St. Joseph’s hosted its inaugural careers fair on Friday January 31, and it was a massive success. With 78 exhibitors, 20 guest speakers, and a vast array of industries on display, the event offered students a unique opportunity to explore career paths, learn from industry professionals, and gain a deeper understanding of the diverse opportunities available in both local and national sectors.
Aiming to give students the chance to discover careers in everything from agriculture and healthcare to the arts and public service, the fair was designed to be an engaging, interactive experience. The event’s success was driven by the hard work of guidance counsellor, Laura Egan, and the impressive efforts of Transition Year (TY) students, who helped organise and manage the event.
“We had endless emails and a lot of administration work leading up to the event. On the day, each TY student was in charge of a certain room. They met and greeted the guest speakers, made sure everything was set up and comfortable. Their work was really a credit to them,” said Laura.
A total of 420 students from schools across Clare attended the event. Students from St. Flannan’s College, Ennis Community College, St. Michael’s Community College Kilmihil, and St. John Bosco’s Community College Kildysart joined 170 students from St. Joseph’s Community College Kilkee.
There was something for everyone at the fair, with rooms dedicated to different industries. Agriculture, creative arts, media, healthcare, and much more were all showcased in their own distinct sections, allowing students to explore specific areas of interest.
There was a strong presence of local businesses and industries at the event in Kilkee. This showcased the wide range of exciting career opportunities available to the students within their own county.
From Kilbaha Art Gallery and Amber Fox Art to the Loop Head Tourism initiative, students were exposed to local businesses that represent a broad spectrum of industries.
Laura said “it was an eye-opener for many students to realize that career success is very much achievable right here in West Clare”.
In addition to these local opportunities, major national organisations like Intel, AIB, the ESB, and Clare County Council were on hand to discuss careers in technology, finance, engineering, and local government. From paramedic studies and nursing to software engineering and project management students had the opportunity to explore every avenue.
The students in attendance were able to engage directly with professionals from a variety of fields. Whether they were chatting with a representative from the University of Limerick’s Paramedic Studies program, learning about apprenticeships with Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, or gaining insights into farming and food production from Teagasc and Gurteen College, the Careers Fair offered a range of experiences to suit every interest.
Healthcare careers, particularly in nursing and emergency response, were strongly represented with experts from University Hospital Limerick and the Alzheimer’s Society joining the event. These fields offered students a real sense of the rewarding and diverse opportunities available in the health sector. Meanwhile, students interested in engineering, electrical work, and technical fields had the chance to meet with reps from Shannon Precision Engineering and the ESB, while those looking at public service and law enforcement learned about roles in An Garda Síochána and the Irish Defence Forces.
Alongside the numerous businesses present, there were even fun surprises, like the Flying Alpacas, which added a playful and interactive element to the day while showcasing careers in animal care and therapy.
This year’s Careers Fair was the first of its kind, and it’s only going to grow from here. After recently completing a masters in guidance counselling at the University of Limerick Laura is committed to further integrating guidance counselling into the school, and the Careers Fair is just one aspect of this ongoing initiative.
“We hope that, going forward, we’ll get even more interest from businesses and colleges. The first year is always the hardest, but this event showed just how much potential there is to create something special for our students,” she added.
